A Murphy Dresden Christmas
by Rockologist
Summary: A little Christmas Fun with our favourite characters. Steamy Hari-Kari fluffiness to follow... Warning: Adult themes...
1. Under the Mistletoe

Disclaimer: Not my characters, not my verse, the mistakes however are all mine. Just playing in Jim's super fun sandbox.

Summary: A little around fun around Christmas, will get steamy Hari-Kari fluffiness!

Chapter 1

So there I was having a fantastic dream involving a certain kick-ass blonde in skin tight leather pants and a pair of handcuffs when my phone rang completely shattering my little delusional world, _the universe hates me._ I reached over fumbling for the receiver with my left hand which smacked against the bedside table, then the wall, then my face. My right hand slipped under the covers to my incredibly strained dick trying to ease the pressure and get a little blood to my other brain. Not sure it worked, because I went with: "Wonderland, this is Alice." _Well, it could have been worse_.

"Harry?" Came an uncertain Murphy voice. _Oh God, dick tightening_... there may have been some heavy breathing...

"Mmmmpppffffffftt," _Yeah, that's me. Harry Dresden: master of the witty diatribe._

"Dresden, what are you doing?" the Murphy voice demanded suspiciously. _Certainly not thinking about jerking off!_ "Dresden!" she demanded again. _Hells bells, that didn't come out of my mouth, did it? Come, heh! Get a grip, Dresden!_

"Ah... sleeping?" I mumbled. _Yeah, because the cop's spidey senses weren't already tingling_. She harrumphed loudly, letting me know that she didn't buy it for a second. But that she was Not going there, all the same. "Yeah, I've had this weird migraine all day..."I continued into the awkward silence. "...figured I'd take the day off. What's up, Murph?" I asked, I usually didn't need to ask. Usually she was like a freight train, monologing the problem, demanding I be somewhere and hanging up on me.

"I... was hoping you could do me a favour..."she trailed off when I yawned loudly, "Am I boring you, Dresden?"

I sighed, "No, Murph." I assured her, "Like I said, not quite conscious yet. What's the favour? Because I've got to warn you, the last time I did a favour there was a dinosaur named Sue involved..." Silence. _No_ _one appreciates me._ The pressure in my dick began to ease appreciably.

She took a deep breath, "My mother is throwing a Christmas party tomorrow night, would you go with me? I know the holidays aren't really your thing. But there'll be good food and free beer..." she trailed off at my laugh. "What?" she demanded, I could tell she was trying to be quiet. She must have been at work, I'm not the most popular guy at the station at the moment.

"You had me at your mother, Murph. But ah... what about Kincaid?" I hated myself for asking. I wanted to take it back as soon as I said it. She was silent, I waited, sitting in my blessedly dark room hearing her breath softly.

Finally she murmured, barely audibly: "That's over, I broke it off." I waited for more, there wasn't any.

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry, Murph." I whispered doing a silent happy dance in my bed, grinning like a fool.

She sighed: "I know, Harry. You were right, he wasn't a Good Guy."

It was time to change the subject before things got awkward. "So ah... Christmas party? Do I bring anything? What's the dress code? What time should I pick you up?" I asked sitting up and running my hands through my unruly hair.

I heard a quietly relieved sigh, "We dress up, I'm Santa this year." I laughed and nearly choked to death while simultaneously falling out of bed with a crash.

"Dresden!"I heard her growl from my tangled and prone position on the floor, it took me a while to find the receiver again and press it to my ear.

"Sorry, sorry." I muttered over her grumbling, "Okay, so you're Santa. We could go for broke in the irony department, Santa's little Elven helper I could be."

I could hear the smile in her voice, "Fine, I'll pick you up at 7. We are not taking the wizard mobile, though." I was a little offended, my blue beetle is legendary. I told her so. She hung up.

It was 10 to 7 on Christmas Eve and I was feeling incredibly self-conscious in bright green and red angle-striped tights, _I look like a giant candy cane_... Red boots that curled up at the toes housed my feet and made me walk about with exaggerated care. I'd found a green tunic that hung to mid-thigh with a ragged hem and sleeves, it was belted with a wide bright red belt with a big black buckle. All topped off with a ridiculous red hat with green fluffy trim and pompom on the end. My favourite bit was the ears, I'd spelled them to get them just pointy enough. Very delicate magic that had taken a couple of hours and lots of failures to get right. I was musing about the dumbo ears I'd very nearly ended up with when I heard the tentative knock. I grabbed up the bits and bobs I'd prepared for the evening: spelled candy canes, magic sack and Murphy's gift.

When I opened the door revealing my ridiculous attire the sight that greeted me took my breath away. I froze. I stared. Karrin Murphy stood before me in a cheerfully red dress, the second one I'd ever seen her in. It was a strappy number that hugged her torso accentuating her slim figure and revealing for the first time the dimensions of her surprisingly endowed bust. It flared out at the hips to end tastefully at her knee. Her hem and cleavage was edged with white fluffy trim, as were her mid-calf height black boots that did incredible things to what little I could see of her legs. She had a hat similar to mine but with white trim instead of green. She was blushing under my scrutiny, I don't think I've ever seen her blush, hells bells it was cute on her. My mouth ran off without my brain, I knew this because it was open: "Why Santa, my you've changed. If I'd known that this would come down my chimney I'd have been a much better boy!"

"Close your mouth, Dresden." She smirked while I stared. My mouth closed with an audible click, but I just couldn't pull my eyes up to her face. "They're called boobs, Dresden." She chided gently taking a step closer to get her face in my line of sight.

"Sorry, Murph." I mumbled feeling my face heat. "You just look so—"

"Ridiculous," she supplied quickly.

"—beautiful," I finished, her blush deepened and ran down her chest. _Don't think about it Harry!_ "You're cold," I murmured, "I've got just the thing." I bustled back inside and grabbed my duster. I settled it about her shoulders, just as she opened her mouth to protest, probably that it wouldn't match her outfit, or that I was being a chauvinistic pig, it changed to the same shade of red as her dress and white fluffy trim burst from the edges. I grinned. So did she.

"You ready to go?" she asked finally breaking the spell, I pressed the magic sack into her hands and popped her gift inside. The small package I'd added to the sack hadn't changed its size or weight at all. "What's this?"

"Why, Santa, it's a magic sack. You know for all the presents you'll be handing out." I answered closing the door behind me.

"And that package?" she asked.

"Even Santa deserves a gift at Christmas, Murph." I responded following her to her car. She opened her door using the key and stretched over to open mine giving me a delicious view of the red lacy strapless bra she was wearing. She glared daggers at me when she realised I was looking, but she didn't cover up.

The drive over to Mama Murphy's place was long and tension filled. The icy roads and heavy traffic didn't help, but that wasn't why. Neither was the fact that her radio was stuck on a shrill version of jingle bells, probably my fault. I let her have the quiet, not entirely sure what was up. Knowing that she'd tell me eventually. We're best friends, we told each other everything. Well, nearly everything. We didn't talk about our feelings for each other, she'd made it clear early on that that wasn't going to happen. We pulled up outside a quaint little home that I assumed to be Mama Murphy's place, there must have been twenty cars outside. Murphy hesitated before turning the engine off. Her hand still resting on the gear stick.

I took her hand, interlacing my fingers with hers, she let me. I squeezed her hand, "What's wrong, Karrin?" She turned the engine off with a sigh and turned to me. I just realised that she was wearing make-up, not alot, but more than I'd ever seen on her. _Hells bells she's gorgeous_. There were unshed tears in her eye's making them sparkle. I quickly looked at her button nose to avoid that soul gaze we'd danced around for a decade. I brought our hands to my face and kissed that back of her hand gently. "Talk to me, Murph."

The words exploded out of her in a rush: "My sister is pregnant." I saw the pain in her eyes saying the words had caused her. "And I'm still alone, playing with bad boys like—" I thought about yanking her over the centre console and into my lap and just holding her. I rejected it. Murph wasn't likely to let me, anyway.

I placed my free hand over our interlocked ones, I let her talk herself though it. Through the mistake of Kincaid; through the awfulness of her ex-husband building a family with her sister. When I was sure she was done and gathering herself together again I spoke: "You're not alone, Karrin." I squeezed her hand again. "Never alone." I murmured slipping out of her grip and jumped out of the car. I rushed around the car, opened her door and pulled her out. I pulled her to my chest in a hug; she hugged me back gratefully burying her face in my chest. I stroked her back in soothing circles until she was ready to go in. I felt it when her inner calm descended on her, settling around her shoulders like a cloak. I let her go without needing to be told.

She did all those little adjustments to her clothing and make-up that women do virtually unconsciously, that men don't understand at all. I watched as she pulled on her visiting the family mask. _Hells bells, how does she do that?_ Just pull on a mask of Christmas cheer over all that pain? How many other masks did she have? I offered my arm which she took in silence and we made our way to the front door. Murphy hesitated at the door gripping my arm, I knocked, loudly.

Mama Murphy answered the door all rosy cheeks and smiles, Murph let go of me to give her mother the ritual hello they shared. I pulled a bunch of festive red flowers out of thin air making Mama Murphy's eyes widen and Murphy smile. I handed them over with a flourish and a bow, I know how to impress moms. It's a knack. "Hello, Mrs Murphy. May I say that you're looking lovely this evening?" She smiled at me in a knowing way.

"Come in, come in, Merry Christmas." She smiled shifting out of the doorway. "My, this is a little awkward." She murmured under her breath as she let us slip passed. "I didn't know you'd invited Harry, dear."

Murphy spun on her, "Awkward, how?" she demanded also under her breath retaking my arm determinedly.

"I invited Kincaid and Ivy, they're already here, he never said anything about you not..." she trailed off under Murphy's glare.

"Dammit," she swore, squeezing my arm. I patted her hand reassuringly, feeling completely impotent. "Mom," she continued in a voice that I knew she was struggling to keep level, "Never ever invite Kincaid or Ivy in the house again, okay?" Mama Murphy just looked confused.

"Ah, I could smack him around for a bit if you want." I whispered with a wink, Mama Murphy gasped and opened her mouth.

Murph turned to me and laid a hand on my chest, "We'll call that plan B, okay?" she murmured with a smile completely ignoring her mother's strangling sounds.

I kissed her on the forehead and then pressed my forehead to hers, "Just say the word, Murph." She nodded, tapped my chest twice and I pulled away. Her hand slipped down to mine and we interlaced our fingers by mutual consent.

"Come on, Dresden. I'll introduce you to the masses." She said yanking me along to an enormous backyard lit by multiple colours of Christmas lights in trees and along walls, both flashing and plain. There was tinsel and holly and brightly coloured ornaments hanging from everywhere. A life sized slay and full set of reindeer stood in the centre of the yard. There must have been 50 kids playing on and around it and running around the rest of the yard. There were 3 football matches playing on very large flat-screen TVs and about 20 men all watching them, beers in hand and shouting to each other and at the TVs. There was roughly the same number of women preparing salads, veggies, pot roasts and hotdogs for the kids. Everyone was in costume. Over all this, Barry White Christmas music blared.

I took two steps into the yard and was over-whelmed by the bright garish lighting and the loud sounds assaulting my ears. Everything became more than a little weird and disjointed. I lost my sense of which way was up right about the moment my body went numb and I lost contact with the only thing keeping me conscious: Murphy's hand in mine. My vision went black, I heard Murphy shout my name in surprise and then nothing. _A whole lot of nothing. It was kind of nice. _

The first thing I noticed was that Barry White was still playing. The second thing I noticed was Murphy calling my name from a long way off followed by a full armed slap across the face. After that everything came back pretty quickly. Someone was breaking my hand in a vice grip, I squeezed back weakly as the rest of my senses returned. "Murph," I croaked, "I'm going to need that hand." The vice grip eased some, but didn't let me go. There was a sudden weight on my chest constricting my breathing. I opened an eye to check, it was Ivy. Dressed as an elf as well, _the girl has good taste._ I squeezed Murphy's hand again and she got the message.

"Honey, ease up a little, he can't breathe." Ivy jumped off me, embarrassment plain on her face. "God, Harry, what the hell happened?" Murphy demanded helping me sit up. I blinked several times as she came into my field of view, I grinned when I got reacquainted with her cleavage. "You're a pig, Dresden!" She growled and tipped my eyes up to her face. She was smiling though.

"Ah, sorry. I think I feinted—" I was cut off by a snort, I looked up to see Kincaid standing over Murphy who was on her knees beside me. "This is a private conversation, hell hound." I snarled at him.

Both Ivy and Murphy exclaimed: "Harry!" in exactly the same tone indicating that I was being very rude. I didn't care. Ivy started talking before I had the chance to tell him to get the hell away from us. "It was all the magic," Murphy started to interrupt her but she forestalled her with a raised hand. "The magic of family and friends, of the love. I was disoriented myself for a time, though I have experienced this many times. There is a great deal of love in your family, Murphy. It has been known to cause black outs in wizards that haven't..." she trailed off looking to me, unsure whether to go on.

I finished the thought for her, finally understanding why this time of year was so difficult for me: "in wizards that didn't truly ever had the love of family and friends around them when their magic was first developing." I felt Murphy squeeze my hand with both of hers. I returned the thought with a squeeze of my own without looking at her. "I'm okay now," I assured them. "And from what I understand Santa needs to collect presents to put in her magic sack. And I need one of those free beers..." They helped me stand up, I swayed precariously for a minute. Murphy quickly steadied me with an arm around my waist.

They got me seated as far away from the TVs as we could get before Murphy went in search of that beer. Ivy, bless her, prattled on about something or other. I wasn't listening, I heard the occasional word such as reindeer, elf, snow, gift and grunted in the silences. It seemed to satisfy her before she launched onto something else she needed to tell me. Kincaid just stood next to her, stone still, not blinking, watching the crowd for threats. I watched Murphy interact with clan Murphy, she bestowed hugs and kisses, firm hand shakes and friendly smiles with everyone who crossed her path. I'd never really thought of her in terms of clan Murphy before: as the big sister, aunt, niece, cousin. It made for slow going in terms of finding beer but it suited her down to her toes. She did seem to fill the sack at the same time though, yay for multitasking. By the time she'd come back she'd finished her beer and half of mine, she looked a little sheepish when I pointed that out.

She'd brought a loud hailer with her which shrieked in pain as she turned it on; she grimaced at me apologetically before taking a few steps away from me. I have that effect on technology. The Barry White was turned down. This had the feeling of one of those family rituals, I watched her intently. Ivy had fallen silent and was doing the same next to me. She took a deep breath and winked at me. "Ho Ho Ho," she began in a feigned male voice, "Merry Christmas!" There are shrieks and shouts as fifty kids and 40 adults all descended on us, the kids crowded around Murphy the parents stood towards the back watching with a mixture of amusement and boredom. They had all been through this before.

"What time is it?" she asked, only just before the kids yelled: "Present time!" Then she did something I didn't think I'd ever hear her do, she sang. On her own, with no musical accompaniment at all:

"You better watch out,

You better not cry,

You better not pout,

I'm telling you why,

Santa Cause is coming to town…"

The first verse was all her, strong and clear, she had an incredible voice. After that the kids joined her, not quite drowning her out on the loud hailer but coming pretty close. I watched on with a familiar sense of detachment as she handed out presents to all the kids. She new every one of them by name sending them off with a hug and a kiss, a present in their grubby paws and one of my spelled candy canes in their mouth. The adults all got a gift as well, all but me and Kincaid, the last of which went to Rich the icky brother-in-law, ex-husband bastard. When he came forward to collect his gift she threw it at his chest from 7 feet away, to a number of quiet chuckles from those recognised as having to be her brothers. The youngest chirped: "No ass kicking this year?" to gales of laughter from all the men with Murphy genes.

I couldn't help it, my mouth is directly connected to my heart sometimes. "The night is still young, Dick." I growled into the pregnant silence, louder than I'd intended. There was a second of stunned silence, Murphy looked a little panicked, I could just see them all thinking: "Who the hell is that guy?", before the bubble burst into laughter once more. Dick ambled away muttering under his breath.

Murphy shook her head at me, "This over protective grouch is, my friend, Harry. Elf by night, wizard by day," she whispered theatrically as the parents ambled away. The kids were lapping it up. I stood up and bowed with a flourish to their applause, on my way up I pulled a red rose out of thin air. _Or up my sleeve…_ I presented it to her with another flourish. I could tell she wanted to growl at me, and tell me where I could shove that. But instead she curtsied prettily and accepted it with a smile. Then she surprised me by slapping my bottom and shouted "Tag, you're it!"

"Thanks boss," I grumbled, using a little magic to amplify my voice and the loud hailer to give off a comical puff of blue smoke. I rubbed my but and winked at the kids theatrically. They all giggled hysterically. Murphy vacated the spotlight and left me with the kids. I performed a number of the tricks my dad had taught me when I was a boy, and a few I had later worked out from watching him. The kids loved it, and kept calling for more until supper was announced. It was exhausting.

I slumped down to a bench gratefully. Murphy came over with a cold one and pressed it into my hands. "Marry me," I murmured fervently before taking a long hard pull. She slid down next to me and pulled the last of the gifts out of the magic sack, my one to her. She turned the cloth bag over in her hands a number of times before pulling it open. It was a pentacle much like the one she already owned, with some additions, and much better silver work on my part.

"Harry, I already have a key to your place." She said with a frown pulling out the old one from her handbag.

"This isn't just a key to my place," I smiled, "Here, let me show you." I held it up by the chain and said in a clear imitation of her: "Find Harry." The pentacle swung vertical in my direction. When I said stop it swung back down. "Light." It glowed with purple wizard's light before I stopped it. And my personal favourite: "Oh, shit!" and a blue shield suddenly formed in front of us, it was Murphy sized. Her eye's had widened in surprise at some point, and she was smiling in amusement at the last voice command. I took her hand and waved it over the pentacle; it changed or appeared to change into a silver pendant. It was a small and utterly inadequate rendition of what she looked like under my Sight. I'd never described to her what I saw when I looked at her with my wizard enhanced Sight. I could never quite find the right words. It was a defending angel, my defending angel.

She gasped, "God Harry, it's… it's beautiful." She whispered taking it in her hands and lifting it to the light, she snorted daintily and said "Light." Purple light shone from the little angel in her hands letting her see it better.

She studied it while I spoke. "You remember what I've told you about the Sight?" she nodded, "People look different under my Sight depending on the state of their souls and the kinds of people they are. That's what I see when I look at you, Murph. I… I just… wanted you to know that." She looked up at me then, a complex expression on her face. She took my hand with a sad smile. Which of course was when Mama Murphy came over with her heavenly food and sat with us chattering about the grand children and thanking me for the entertainment and asking where I'd found candy canes that turned peoples mouths different colours and ears different shapes. At this point Murphy froze, mid-chew to glare at me. She'd been sucking on one all evening. Her mouth and was the same colour green as my outfit and she had pointy elf ears just like mine. "My, what pointy ears you have, Murph," I grinned just dodging out of her reach before her slap could connect with the back of my head.

Kincaid and Ivy came to sit with us, I had to hide my grin at what my candy canes had done to them: Ivy's mouth was purple and her ears had grown to three times their normal size, completely over powering her face. Kincaid's Mouth was blue and he had the ears of an elephant, neither of them seemed to notice… I saw Murphy doing the same thing, our eye's locked for a second and we lost all our self control and broke into fits of giggles. They looked at each other, apparently saw what I'd done to them for the first time. It was so comical that we laughed even harder, we had to hold onto each other so we didn't fall off the bench. Eventually we quieted gasping for air, still hanging onto each other. Ivy was smiling, Kincaid was glaring.

Murphy patted my arm to get me to let go and passed me the pentacle, "Would you?" she asked turning her back to me. I put it on her in silence, lingering a second or two more than I should with my fingertips brushing her skin. Ivy was staring at it in wonder.

"Harry, that's an impressive show of skill. How long did you work on it?" she asked spooning a carrot into her mouth.

I made a face, "Er…" I looked at my hands making as if I were counting on them, "Carry the 2…" I muttered. Murphy kicked me under the table. Mama Murphy snorted loudly. "Ow!" I complained glaring at her, "About 4 months… give or take…"

I could see Murphy doing the mental arithmetic now, "That's when we encountered that, crazy love-belt Red." She murmured. I nodded, I could see the 'oh' form on her lips but she didn't give voice to it. At some point in the meal a case of beer was left next to our table, I ploughed my way through it while Ivy quizzed me on how I did it. It was a long, technical discussion of ingredients, rituals and storage vessels. When we wound down, Murphy asked in a quiet voice: "Man alive, Harry what did all this cost you?"

"Nothing that a few hugs couldn't fix," I shrugged, _after all the soul grows back_.

Ivy's reaction was more that a little disproportionate. "Harry no!" she yelled at me, jumping to her feet. Everyone was a little shocked at her outburst, so was I. "Not soul fire!" she hissed, "Harry you'll burn yourself out."

Know-it-alls are so annoying! Murphy had my arm in a vice grip, "Harry, what's she talking about?" she demanded.

"It's nothing really, Murph." I replied patting her arm, "Soul fire kind of uses up a person's soul," her grip tightened on my arm, "but it's not dangerous if you know how to use it. Besides I only put a very small piece in there to keep the magic fresh. And it grows back in the fluffy moments."

Kincaid grunted, "You have no idea what you're playing with, Dresden." I glared at him and opened another beer, my 4th or 6th… _shrug, I lose count_.

"I've been using it for years now, and I'm fine. So stop with the scare tactics and leave it alone." I growled and pried Murphy's nails out of my flesh so I could carry on eating. She'd drawn blood, I wisely ignored the fact.

"Have the headaches started?" Kincaid probed, Murphy's hands froze over her plate, she blessedly kept her mouth shut. I gave him a flat stare. "When they do, you need to stop using it. Completely. Or it'll kill you. Or worse." _I hate it when the Bad Guys show a little humanity. _

"What's with this sudden soft spot for me, Kincaid? You sweet on me or something" I smirked.

He grunted again, "Self preservation. You have the potential to be one seriously badass wizard if you survive long enough to teach you a little caution. You've already taken on far more that you should be able to handle and survived, by the seat of your pants usually. Seriously badass wizard, without a soul, without a conscience… Doesn't bode well for this corner of the world." I think it was the longest speech I'd ever heard out of him. Murphy was worried, hiding it well but worried all the same.

There was blessed quiet for some time in which I was allowed to eat in peace before Ivy started up again: "Let me get a look at y—"

I cut her off: "No, I'm fine." She was going to protest further, I could see it. _Dammit, I've never been able to say no to kids._ I let my cutlery clutter to the table and whisked her to her feet. "You and me, dancing, now." I pointed a steady finger at Murphy, "Don't go anywhere, you're next." We danced for a while, nothing spectacular. Just lots of twirls and spins, the song was too quick to do too much in anyway. Ivy still found a way to talk though. Eventually I relented and let her look. She wobbled a little but that was her only reaction.

"Your headaches have started?" she asked, concern on her face. I saw Kincaid and Murphy whisk passed us on the dance floor. _Dammit_. I nodded trying to keep an eye on them. "Harry, this is beyond hugs. You need to speak to the council about this! Or…"

"I know." I sighed, "I'm not going to use it for a bit."

She saw where I was looking and smiled, "You love her?" I nodded. "She loves you."

"Is that a question?" I demanded sending her out for another twirl.

When she came back I'd lost sight of Murphy, "You should be together." She continued as if I'd never spoken.

"Oh, yeah. I can totally see that happening: Hey Murph, make love to me to save my soul? No kid, if it's gonna happen, it's not gonna happen like that." I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me, fantastic, now someone probably thinks that I'm a paedophile if they caught any of that. I turned us casually to find Murphy and Kincaid behind us, she stared at me for a second before Kincaid whisked her off again. _Oh God_. "CRAP!" I hissed.

Ivy didn't seem to notice. A slower song came on which allowed for more talking, she took full advantage while I tried to follow Murphy's retreating form. "She'd do it, you know," she whispered, "Her journals are pretty explicit about just wha—" I stopped. Dead. I knew Murphy wrote in a journal, I'd never even thought to warn her about this. Ivy was short for Archive, the archive is a supernatural being that instinctively knows everything that's written down, everywhere. _Hells bells, she was going to kiiiiilllllll meeee, d-e-a-d, dead! _

"Stop, Ivy those are private. I know you can't help knowing it but you should never pass on anything like that." I growled marching over to where Murphy and Kincaid were. There seemed to be a little trouble here. I noticed her four brothers advancing on them as I was before I noticed why. Kincaid had a hand on her ass and another on her torso just beneath her right breast. She had both her hands on his chest keeping him at bay. Angry words were being spoken, I pushed for speed and got there before her brothers. "We're cutting in," I said bluntly and loudly over whatever they were arguing about. I don't know what my face looked like but from the rage I was feeling and the look on Murphy's face when she saw me told me it was pretty fierce. Ivy was panting next to me from trying to keep up with my pace.

Kincaid had murder in his eyes but let go of her at the look on my face. I offered her my arm in silence, she took it and we turned our backs on him. The music changed to a waltz, I bowed over her hand and whisked her into the music, and it didn't take long to figure out that with our height differences it just wasn't going to work. So I used a little shield magic that I'd been practicing. One minute she was a foot shorter than she needed to be, the next she wasn't. I'd created a horizontal circular shield around me for her to stand on, she didn't miss a step. I was the perfect gentleman, touching her only lightly and only where the dance required it.

She broke the silence first, "Thanks Harry," she whispered, barely audible.

"For what?" I asked innocently, "I didn't do that for you, you could have kicked his ass to hell and back." I smiled, she snorted gratefully. "But your brothers were going to start a brawl…" I trailed off and twirled her slowly so that she could see the four men still watching on, still tense. She waved at them as she turned round, and they went back to their TVs. "Protective bunch..." I observed.

She harrumphed, "Too protective by half, and still you got there first."

I shrugged, "I was on my way to you in any case." Her eyebrows rose.

"If this is about what you said to Ivy—" she began.

I cut her off, "It's not, though I guess we have to talk about that too..." I trailed off spinning her away from me briefly, when she was back in my arms I continued: "...Murph, you should consider not keeping a journal anymore." She just blinked up at me, somewhat confused.

I let her get there on her own; it didn't take her long. "Oh God, Ivy... and you're telling me... what did she—" I cut her off quickly, before anything was reveal that couldn't be taken back.

"Murph, I don't know what's in them. I'd never let her share that, that's yours." She broke off the dance and hugged me fiercely. I hugged her back enjoying our new relative heights.

"You're a good man, Harry." She murmured into my collarbone. "Could it ever come to that?" she asked quietly, "Could it get so bad that you need... sex... to save your soul?"

I stroked her hair, "No Murph, I know how all this must seem... I swear to you, I didn't create that pendant using soul fire to get in your pants." She laughed at that easing away so she could look up at my face.

"I never thought that, Harry." She giggled against me. Murphy. Giggled. Without provocation. _Oh God, I'm an idiot. _She'd said the word. I pulled out of the hug. She looked disappointed.

"Murph, say stop." She looked confused but complied her eyes cleared quickly, her confusion turned to anger. Before she could say anything I jumped in. "I'm sorry Murph, that's not a word I thought I'd hear you say any time soon or I'd have said it earlier. The bit of soul in the pendant has a side effect; you can feel what I feel. I managed to tie it to a word so it didn't happen all the time—"

Her anger faded, her hand came up to my chest. Just resting there, not pushing, not yanking. "God, Harry, that's how you feel when you hug me?" I nodded, "No wonder it's good for your soul," she smirked. "Do you ever think that it's a little crazy that we can say that and neither of us thinks it's insane?"

I shrugged, "Insanity is all relative Murph." She rolled her eyes at me and froze, looking above my head.

"Speaking of things that are good for the soul..." she trailed off. I followed her gaze up to a sprig of mistletoe hanging above us. I opened my mouth to say we didn't have to do anything. That we didn't need to kiss if she didn't want to. She stopped me with her fingers over my mouth. She reached her other hand up and entangled it in my hair. She drew my face down to hers and pressed her forehead against mine. Was this really happening? We were going to kiss. No crazy wammy, no CPR, really kiss. Us. The fingers on my lips travelled down to my chest. "Sex." She whispered, a twinkle in her eye. She took a deep steadying breath somehow taking on what I was feeling. "Kiss me, Harry." She whispered again.

I brought my hand to her hair, just the one. The other rested over hers on my chest. "Karrin, are you sure?" She growled deep in her throat and stretched up to me. Her lips brushed mine shyly, barely touching me. She caught my lower lip between hers and sucked on it tenderly. I leaned down letting her settle down on to her heals and responded softly letting her set the pace. She deepened the kiss changing the angle and knocking her teeth against mine. Then her tongue was running along my teeth, seeking entrance to my mouth. She was making little sounds against my lips, asking me to open to her. I did, allowing her tongue to ease into my mouth. She tasted like the beer we'd been drinking, of her mother's turkey and my spelled candy cane. Her tongue explored the contours of my mouth while mine concentrated on playing with hers. Our eyes locked, I couldn't look away from her pretty intense blues.

Our eyes locked and for the first time neither of us looked away. I could never look away again. A pressure began to build up rapidly behind my eyes followed by a weird yanking motion, though I hadn't moved. Suddenly I was somewhere else entirely. I looked around reaching for the only weapon that I had, the Sword of Love. That's weird, isn't that at Harry's place? It flared to life in my hands illuminating the room in a soft glow. It looked like Harry's apartment, blackened with soot and interspersed with piles of ash. Each pile had a completely unburned object sitting on the peak. A copy of his pentacle, for the brother he couldn't save from his own inner demons. A mound of ash covered in blood, just blood, Susan's blood. A sword, for Michael, for not being able to help his friend when he needed it. A sword for Shiro, a coin for that fallen angel that had lived in his head, an apprentice's robe for Molly- they went on deeper and deeper into his apartment. Hundreds of piles of regret and shame for some fault he saw in himself that had caused pain in those he loved.

I turned to find Harry standing beside a pile of ash. For some reason my eyes were drawn away from him to the pile. Atop the pile stood an angel, beaten and bleeding but strong and proud, it reminded me a little of the pendant that he' given me. "This one is for you," he whispered. With an effort I tore my gaze from his depiction of me, and focused on him. He flinched. It killed me to see him flinch from my eyes. I studied him, he had manacles of ice on his wrists and a kind of black razor wire twined up his arms up to his neck where an imprint of red lips was tattooed to his skin. There were cords of gold surrounding his chest, they seemed to be squeezing the life from him. He was bleeding everywhere, _how does he stand it? My God, I have to help him!_

Without thinking about it I placed my hands over his icy manacles and was shot through with the cold dread of his fear that he would become a monster at the hands of Mab. The razor wire pulsed, I took a deep breath and touched it. Over whelming disgust for his own darker side coursed through my veins. The tattoo on his neck revealed his debilitating guilt over Susan's fate. The bands around his chest revealed his overwhelming love, for _me_. Such love. Such passion. Such need. Such longing. For me. How could he stand it?

A mirror slipped out of the floor in front of us, it showed me as the defending angle that Harry saw with his sight or third eye or whatever. It showed Harry as this monster: all big scary teeth, big sharp claws, misshapen hairy limbs. "Oh God, Harry." I whispered turning to him in a hug, "You aren't a monster."

I slingshot back into my reality so hard I thought I might have whiplash. The sensations coursing through my body, both my feelings and Harry's. It was incredible to know what he was feeling when we kissed, all I wanted was to rip his clothes off and go at it right here right now. He stiffened against me and pulled out of the kiss. I felt a hot, blazing rage begin to build in my gut. It was a completely foreign sensation to me, but not to Harry, I could see it in his eyes. What had he seen to bring about such anger? He was saying something, but the ringing in my ears was so intense that it wasn't getting through. He grabbed the pendant and ripped it from my neck breaking the chain. Suddenly the burning pit of rage was gone. I saw it continue to build in his eyes. I'd never seen him like this, it scared me. I looked away before he could see the fear in my eyes. He reached over and grabbed my neck, pinching it in the way I taught him. _What the?_ "Don't hate me, Murph." He whispered as everything went black.


	2. Alive

Alive. I was alive. I knew that because it hurt. Everywhere. A gruff voice was saying something, entirely too loudly, sending shooting pains through my skull. A very large hand grabbed my shoulder and with no trouble at all lifted me and carried me out of my cell. Heh. Cell. I was propped up in a chair, I swayed and he steadied me with a ham sized fist, and asked: "So you ready to make your call?" I mumbled Micheal's number. The officer must have realised that I was in no condition to hang onto the receiver so he put it on speaker phone. It rang once and a familiar voice answered: "Sergeant Murphy". I opened an eye, the expected needles of pain didn't bore into my retina, it was more of a jerky stabbing right into my brain, the copper in front of me looked sheepish.

"Mrrrfffff." I slurred.

"Harry?" She demanded so loudly that I jerked and fell off the chair with a crash. The copper put me back without any trouble, "Harry, what the hell is going on? Where are you? I've been trying to call you."

"County Lock-up," I muttered as things began to come into focus around me. The cop in front of me looked familiar, he was huge and blond. That's all I had time to notice before she was demanding things again.

"What? Why are you at lock up? Is there a case?" she asked suspiciously.

"In Lock-up," The copper corrected.

"In lock-up," she amended automatically as I waved frantically to the wastepaper basket, the copper kindly grabbed it for me, "Wait… What the flying Fuck are you doing IN lock-up?" she demanded.

"Right now?" I muttered, gagging.

The copper helped me out: "Throwing up," he supplied while I did just that, noisily.

"Who the hell is that?" she demanded. I looked over to his name badge once I'd emptied my stomach.

"Er… osifer Shaun Murphy." I supplied, "Wait, did I meet you last night? You two are related?" I asked. He nodded.

"Shaun, what the fuck is he doing in Lock-up?" she demanded.

"Well, earlier he assaulted a cell mate—"

I cut him off, "There was no assault, no salt at all, maybe a little peppering…" I trailed off at the look on his face. _No one appreciates me._

He picked up the narrative: "It appears the victim was trying to steel his shoes."

I corrected him, "He had already stolen my shoes, he was trying to steal my ears—"

"They are good accessories." Shaun put in.

"They're MY God-damn ears," I growled.

"So you're telling me you got arrested for fighting back when a guy tried to steal your ears?" she demanded again. Confusion evident, "We don't arrest people for self defence…"

"No, that happened in the cell." Shaun said quickly, before I could get a word in edgewise.

She sighed, a long suffering sigh: "Shaun, just tell me the charges."

He pulled out a piece of paper that had a number of bullet points on it and began reading off my charges: "5 counts of assault on an officer, 1 count of assault, 1 count of assault on a federal officer, 1 count of possible sexual assault, 2 counts of hate speech, 1 count of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest."

"Jesus Dresden!" she yelled, I hung my head. Which is why I saw the blood in the wastepaper basket, mixed in with my vomit.

"Murph, I think I'm bleeding internally, I think you should call Butters." I murmured.

She sucked in a worried breath, "Oh, Harry. I'll be right there."

I was beginning to feel pretty light-headed, the pain began to ease, it was kind-a nice. "Murph," I whispered, "I'm going to pass out now, send aspirin." Everything went black.

I was floating quite happily on a cloud of delightful drug induced numbness when I heard a soft voice chattering at me happily. I opened an eye cautiously; there was a nurse, with her hand under my sheet doing something to my— my hand shot up of its own accord to stop her. She smiled down at me sagely with a matronly expression. "Just adjusting your catheter my boy, now there's no need to be shy." I checked with my bladder, it was quite happy to go it alone from now on. I told her so, she frowned but let me have it my way. I looked around, nurses meant hospitals, hospitals meant sick people, sick people meant life saving machinery. The nurse must have seen my panic. "Now, now dear, none of that. Your wife mentioned your phobia, so we stuck you in the clinic." She said that with a little tilt of her head and a wink to the bed next to me.

I looked over to find Murphy asleep on the bed next to me. She was in an over-large t-shirt and sweatpants. There was a silver band on her wedding finger, she was wearing my pendant on a new silver chain. My duster, back to its original state, was pulled over her. Wife. Strange, I don't remember getting married. I moved my left hand to turn over and face her but discovered that I was cuffed to the bed. The matronly nurse chuckled: "She wouldn't let us sedate her unless we promised not to remove those."

I blinked, she thoughtfully enlightened me: "She sat there at your bedside for two days, she refused to sleep, we had to do something…" I nodded. I reached out to her but fell about a foot short. The nurse smiled and wheeled the beds a little closer. I reached over again and took her hand, the one with the fake wedding ring. "I'll check on you two in about an hour," she whispered. I nodded and she left.

It didn't take long for Murphy to stir. When her eye's fluttered open the first thing she saw was me watching her. I couldn't resist: "Good morning, Wife." I smiled, she froze and looked down at her hand guiltily.

"They wouldn't have let me stay unless I was family," she explained, "I didn't think they'd believe that I was your sister…" I squeezed her hand.

"Murph, you are family. You've been listed as my next of kin for years." She squeezed my hand and sat up, her legs hanging over the side of the bed more than a foot off the ground. So adorable. "So ah, you into bondage now or am I still under arrest?" she coloured prettily. She jumped off the bed and unlocked the cuffs stretching over me as she did. Never letting go of my hand.

"I got the charges dropped, I just… didn't want you to panic and run off. I know you worry about hurting people in hospitals, and you shouldn't be on your feet just yet…" I struggled to sit up, she helped me. "How are you feeling?"

"Ah, like I took on a hell hound, FBI agent and a whole family of cops…" I wheezed. "What's the damage?"

She began rattling off my injuries: severe internal bleeding, cracked ribs, fractured collarbone, broken arm, whiplash—" I stopped her.

"No, I mean, how's the other guy?"

She smiled at that, "Kincaid and Rich are both here in the hospital. I saw my sister at some point, yesterday, I think. A few broken bones, they'd have been released but they got a few more when I dropped by to get the charges dropped." I blinked at her. _As I live and breathe, Karrin Murphy breaking bones for me._ She must have known what I was thinking because she coloured again."And the brothers grim are fine, a few cuts and bruises. I think their pride is wounded more than anything else, it took four of them to take you down."

"They shouldn't feel bad, I have a great Aikido instructor." I grinned.

She grinned back, "No magic?"

"Nope, if I'd used magic the council would already be here doing head-choppy things to my neck…" she snorted.

"I'd like to see the bastards try." She responded fiercely, my heart leapt at her words and I yanked her into my lap for a hug. She hugged me gently, running her hands through my hair and resting on my back lightly. I held her tight against me ignoring the small twinges of pain.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered in her ear, she stiffened but didn't pull away.

"For what?" she whispered back hesitantly.

"The Soul Gaze, I never wanted to subject you to that."

She did pull away then and look up into my eyes without fear of it happening again. "You're a fool, Harry. Did you REALLY think I didn't already know exactly what lay in your soul?" I blinked at her, several times. She placed a hand on my cheek and a quick, chaste, reassuring kiss on my mouth. Her eyes on mine the whole time, they smouldered slightly for a second making my blood boil. Hells bells this woman turns me on. "You're a good man, Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. You'll just have to take my word for it." I sighed in relief. "That's what all the violence was about? You saw, what, my pain?"

I nodded, struggling to clear a large lump in my throat. She waited for me to find the words. Her hand still on my face, her fingers running along my still elven ear, I shivered at her touch "You're so beautiful, so pure and strong and precious. When I saw how they'd tarnished you, how they'd made you feel less than the incredible woman that you are. When I saw that there was absolutely nothing I could have done to stop it. When I saw the pain you'd gone through to help me all these years and what it's cost you to remain my friend. It made me so angry, Murph. I lost myself in it. Hells bells, if I'd hurt you…" I trailed off when her fingers covered my lips.

She rubbed her nose against mine, "Don't…" she whispered, "I can't go down that rabbit hole with you right now…" She kissed me on the forehead lightly and slipped off my lap just as the Carpenters came in. Her left hand went into her pocket immediately. There was a ring on my left hand as well, I determinedly kept it in view. Charity picked up on it all in the fraction of a second it took her to sum up the situation. "… because I got the Carpenters on the visitors list and they'll be right here." Murphy continued, more for my benefit than theirs.

Molly had a serious bunch of helium filled balloons inscribed with well wishes from "Happy Hanika" to "Congratulations, it's a boy!" including everything in between. Micheal limped in, I saw Murphy's gaze flicker to me for a fraction of a second. She understood, and just like that it was an easier burden to bear. Molly, predictably was the first to speak. "So boss, I heard you spent some time in the Big House. You didn't drop the soap I hope!" I don't know who started it bit we all burst out laughing, though I learnt quickly that was a bad plan for someone recovering for surgery. I wheezed painfully trying to recover, Murphy's hand was in mine immediately, her thumb on the morphine button, bless her. "God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Molly hissed in a rush.

"Ssokay," I murmured as the pain released and fluffy things started happening in my brain, "the morphine she be loooovvelyyyy." I grinned. Murphy's hand stayed in mine. "Thanks for the balloons grasshopper, how very indiscriminate of you." She blushed, going the same colour as her hair.

"How are you feeling," Micheal asked looking concerned, "and what happened?"

"Feeling grrrooooovvvvvvvvy now," I grinned, "As to the how, there was a Christmas party, and Reindeer, then someone stole my shoes…" I said thinking back to the brothers grim's costumes. I looked to Murphy for help. She rolled her eyes at me but summarised the last few days events in short sharp completely believable sentences. She left out all the good bits, like the kissing and soul gazing. But otherwise it was completely vanilla in nature, which is why they didn't believe her, not for a second.

"You went to a Christmas party dressed as Legolas?" Molly asked taking in my ears and looking pointedly at the ring I was wearing, "Because I feel compelled to inform you that the ring to rule them all was with Frodo for most of—"

Murphy cut her off with a sigh, "No a Christmas Elf, the ring is a Christmas present." I raised an eyebrow at that, "Placed strategically to let us visit…"

I pulled the ring off my finger and had a closer look, it did have elven script on it, but not the same as in the book. _So I'm a nerd, so sue me_. "What does it say?" Charity asked, obviously not a LotR fan. I shrugged and looked to Murphy who shrugged back. I put it back where I'd found it.

"Like we can read elvish," she said offhandedly in a way that told me she knew exactly what it said and would tell me later. Molly wasn't buying it so I moved us right along.

"Now if it were Klingon, on the other hand." I smirked and wriggled my eyebrows at her. "Right, so that's my week so far. How was your Christmas?" Which was exactly the right thing to ask to move the conversation along, Murphy squeezed my hand gratefully.

It turns out that a Carpenter Christmas is intense; Molly just kept talking and talking and talking. It's a little embarrassing to admit to but I drifted off to sleep with the drug induced fluffiness and the safe embrace of the presence of my friends.

When I woke up it was late in the evening, the lights were dipped, and the carpenters were gone. So was Murphy's bed. She was curled up in an overstuffed chair next to a lamp, she'd changed her shirt. She was writing in a journal… "The Carpenters left a few hours ago, it turns out watching you snore is less fun that the new years celebration they're going to." She commented without looking up.

"Murph, the journaling…" I trailed off as she looked up at me and smiled.

"I destroyed the others," she said closing the one on her hands. "But it gave me an idea about communication with Ivy, I was just telling her how you were doing."

"And how is that, exactly?" I asked noting the champagne next to her.

She smiled, "You can go home tomorrow, and nothing strenuous for a couple of weeks but it would appear that you'll live."

"Butters—" I began hopefully.

She cut me off, "—says he's a coroner not a surgeon and that you should listen to them if you don't want to end up on his slab. Something about healing well but not being the highlander. I've been instructed to field your calls for the next week or so."

"Which you are absolutely not—" I was cut off by the x-files theme song playing on her cell phone. She winked at me and answered.

"Dresden Investigations, this is Murphy… I'm sorry ma'am, Wizard Dresden isn't available for clients for the next couple of weeks… If you'd like to make an appointment after that… Mmmmmhmmmm… absolutely the 14th at 9:30 sounds fine… and that's pixies with an 'x'?... no ma'am, I most certainly am not mocking you… yes ma'am… very good ma'am." She hung up with a huff, "God, I hate customer service!"

She looked back at me then dropped the phone back onto the table and took a languid sip of champagne, "What were we talking about, Dresden?"

"You were about to come hither," I began crooking a finger at her and shifting over, "then you were going to tell me what my Christmas present says…" She smirked at me and came over, I held out my arms and she slipped into bed next to me settling down with a hand on my chest. "So, what does it mean?"

"The English is on the inside," she whispered theatrically with a shy smile. I took the ring off and brought it up to my face, suddenly her hand shot out and covered it with her fingers. She had her bottom lip caught in her teeth in that sexy way she had when she was debating with herself. I waited, pressure was the last thing she needed right now. Now that she was so close to accepting we could work. "Okay," she whispered and buried her face in my shoulder.

I brought it up close and read the inscription aloud while Murphy wriggled next to me, "Yours always and forever, my beloved."

"God, that sounds so corny when you say it!" she muttered against my shoulder all cute shyness and embarrassment. I took the hand resting on my chest and tenderly kissed each knuckle leisurely.

"Karrin, if corny is you feeling those things and saying it out loud, then corny is all I want in the world." I murmured. I felt her chest rumble contentedly against my side, a small sigh escaped her lips. She shifted against me to look up at my face and slithered up my body until our faces were level. The sensation was enough to stiffen my cock. She kissed me gently, I could taste the champagne on her lips as she softly mapped out their shape. Beyond that the sweetness of her mouth on mine, the scent of her hair and the press of her body drove me harder and higher for her. My cock began to twinge uncomfortably, painfully.

She broke the kiss and came up for air panting a little. "God, Harry this is crazy. We're in public. You've just come out of surgery. And I'm incredibly loud—" she froze and blushed prettily when she realised what she'd said.

"Oh," I grinned, "a screamer, hey?" I wriggled my eyebrows at her suggestively. Suddenly the pressure in my dick became unbearable pain, I cried out and spasmed squeezing my eyes shut. She lifted off me instantly.

"Harry what's happening? I can't help you if I don't know wha—"

"It hurts," I gasped. "Ithurts,ithurts,ithurts. Make it stop!"I begged, blinded by the searing agony.

"Baby, what hurts?" she asked, tears now streaming down her face.

"Cock," I wheezed. Her hand slipped down my body, I stopped her hand before it got to my waist.

She grabbed my face with her other hand, "Look at me Harry, look at me baby." I opened my eyes and saw her anguish at my pain. "Trust me, let me help you." I let go of her arm and it shot down to my groin. She collared my extremely erect dick at its base, through the sheet and my hospital gown, with two fingers. She took a quick breath and squeezed, hard. Air exploded out of my lungs in release as the pain vanished. She sighed in relief and kissed me with feathery little kisses all over my face.

"Hells bells!" I panted, "This is not how I imagined this!" She sagged against me pressing her forhead against my chest, the pressure she had on my cock didn't change. "I'm sorry, Murph. There was a catheter..." Which of course is when the elderly matronly nurse waltzed in, because that's just how things in my life pan out. Murphy froze looking a great deal like a doe in the headlights. The nurse's eyes widened appreciably and her mouth formed a silent 'O'. It would have been comical, hell, who'm I kidding? It was bloody high-lerious!

The nurse was struggling to find something to say, Karrin was trying to will herself into invisibility through sheer determination. So it was up to me to do something before the next ice-age. "Um..." Yeah, like I said, a master of the witty. "There was a catheter and pain..."

Murphy snorted, and looked over at the nurse. "If I release him slowly..." she began.

"Go ahead love," the nurse nodded, "Perhaps a little col—" Murphy didn't let her finish, just dumped icy water over my crotch.

I yelled and she grimaced apologetically, "Sorry, sorry Baby." She whispered, my erection slowly began to fade so she gradually loosened her hold on me until she wasn't constricting the blood flow and was just holding me loosely. I quirked an eyebrow at her and she quickly let go blushing a deep purple. "No pain?" she asked anxiously.

"None, thanks Murph." I smile at her, taking her hand in mine. I turned to the Nurse: "Please tell me that's temporary!"

She nodded thoughtfully: "It is, we normally say to give it a day or two. But since you weren't to do anything strenuous for a few weeks..." she trailed off with a hard look. I felt like a kid caught with my hand in a cookie jar.

"I was kissing my... wife. That's all, I swear." I said crossing my fingers over my heart, she looked doubtful. I didn't care. "Was there something you needed?" I asked her pointedly gesturing for Murphy to settle down next to me again. She sniffed and stalked out. Murphy snuggled down next to me being careful not to be intentionally provocative. "I'm sorry Murph, about the early draw."

She tapped my chest with two fingers in a sign of annoyance that I knew well, "God, Harry, do you really think that upsets me?" she murmured. "Do you have any idea what a turn on it is that you want me that much, we hadn't even got to any heavy petting…" she trailed off blushing again.

"Tell me," I whispered. Silence. "Come on Karrin, tell me what a turn on it is." She silently took my hand and drew it down to the waste band of her sweatpants. Her eye's never left mine, her bottom lip was caught between her teeth again, though there was no uncertainty in her eyes now. She slid my hand inside her pants and shifted a little so that I could feel just how wet she was. Her surprisingly lacy panties were soaked. Her thighs were slick with her need for me. Hells bells! I cupped her gently and slipped my middle finger passed the thin fabric at her opening. She groaned and her hips involuntarily rolled forward on my hand. I felt my dick stir again, despite the coldwater still covering me. This was already out of hand but I couldn't help myself. I dipped my finger inside her hot throbbing flesh; she growled my name at full volume desperately trying to control herself. Her hands were fisted in my sheets and straining against them. I slipped my hand out and brought the finger dripping in her juices to my mouth. I ran it along my lips and slowly took it into my mouth savouring the spicy taste of her. Her lips were on mine instantly, she moaned against my mouth tasting herself on my lips.

She pulled out of the kiss before I could deepen it, her eyes were on fire with lust. "God, you're such a tease." She murmured huskily. She pulled away from me and out of bed. "This," she continued indicating the bed, "is a bad plan." I opened my mouth to speak but she got there first, "Tomorrow, okay?" she asked, I nodded. "Good, ack, now I need to take a cold shower." She muttered grabbing a duffle bag that I hadn't noticed yet. She suddenly spun on me her index finger pointing at me threateningly: "Don't even think about joining me!" she growled the huskiness still lacing her voice.

I gave her my most innocent face. _Who me?_ She snorted and walked out in search of a shower. _The woman can read my mind! _

I woke-up to the pleasant sensation of a Murphy shaped person in my arms. She must have snuck in when I fell asleep, well, no complaining here. My face was buried in her hair, my arm around her waste. My hand was lying across her belly in an intimate gesture her fingers entwined with mine, my body curled around hers protectively. I snuggled in closer pressing myself against her back. Hells bells she was so beautiful, so peaceful sleeping in my arms. She stirred against my chest. I swear she began to purr low in her chest. I kissed the skin on her neck just under her ear and behind her jaw, "Morning Beloved." I whispered in her ear. Her purr became a rumble that vibrated against my chest.

She shifted rubbing her bottom on my hard, ready dick. "Mmmm, I could get used to this." She murmured, her voice still thick with sleep. "There any pain?" she asked a little more clearly this time.

"Nope," I grinned into her hair and squeezed her to me tight. She shifted again to look up at me, one hand still in mine the other reached up and cupped my face. "Murph, I—" she stopped me with her fingers on my mouth.

Her eyes were smouldering invitingly, "Just kiss me, lover." she whispered. I grinned and leant down to do just that when the phone rang right next to our heads with a shrill squeal. She jumped and squeaked in my arms in the cutest way. I leant over and hit the loudspeaker button, then I smirked down at her and answered: "Wonderland, this is Alice." She grinned in understanding and playfully kissed my neck.

There was a pause. "As in the camel? You got a hump?" Ah, yes. My brother, the cultured one. Murphy giggled against my chest. "Oh, you've got a girl. Good on you, I hear nurses can be sweeeeeet on guys that nearly die. It's about time you stopped chasing that Smurphette's tail. It's pathetic man." Murphy stiffened against me and mouthed the word 'Smurphette' several times. _Easy Murph_.

"Shut-the-fuck-up, Thomas!" I growled my vision turning red.

"Empty Night, she's there with you isn't she?"

She sighed, "And you're on speaker phone too, Raith. So, just put the shovel down and get out of the hole, nice and slow before there's no coming back." My vision began to clear with her words.

"What do you want?" I asked, somewhat less aggressively.

"I just heard."

"You may need to be a touch more specific, it's been a busy week." I responded, for a guy that slept through most of it had been pretty eventful.

"Word on the street is you took on the Hell Hound that's boning—. Ah… the Hell Hound that's protecting the archive. With. Your. Fists. Seriously, dude. That isn't smart; if I didn't know better I'd say you were suicidal."

"It wasn't exactly planned," I muttered. "What's with the sudden concern? You stopped eating people? Grown a soul?" I know, it was low, but I was pissed. Murphy's expression changed from chagrin at the boning comment, to confusion at the hell hound bit to worry over the suicidal comment.

"A brother can't call and remind you that you just beat on perhaps the one individual that could blow you away at a thousand paces, and has already threatened to do so?" he demanded. Murphy's face took on an angry caste, this wasn't going to be pretty…

"Noted." I muttered and hung-up on him. _Hells bells, just what I bloody need_. Murphy virtually flew out of bed and into the overstuffed chair across the room.

"You are going to explain that," Murphy insisted in a dangerous tone. "Starting with the Hell Hound, bit. I thought you were just calling him names."

"He is, was, the original Hell Hound. I don't know very much, he worked with the original Dracul. That's the original Dracula, the father of the four courts of vampires… He and my grandfather knew each other back then… I didn't pry further. He was doing good things with Ivy and…" I trailed off at the look on her face and the knot in my chest.

She finished the sentence "… and I liked him, so maybe he'd changed, which meant that maybe a monster like you could too. And maybe I'd change my mind about you." _Hells bells, she really did know my soul. _"God, Harry! You aren't a monster. Why didn't you tell me?" I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed to face her better.

"I tried once, but you beat me to it with your going to Hawaii sexcapade. So what the hell was I supposed to say then? I know you don't want me but the guy you're banging used to be an evil guy and he scares me? As I recall you said the danger was the point…" I took a breath, "Hells bells, Murph. I was jealous as hell, and hurting so bad. And then you came back, after what I did to protect you, I felt so dirty and—"

"Wait," she cut me off, "what happened while I was in Hawaii? What did you have to protect me from?"

_Well, you didn't think you'd actually get to keep that secret, did you?_ "Mavra, she had these photos implicating you… Murph, you'd have been fired, locked up, maybe worse." She took in a sharp breath her expression softening. "She blackmailed me, forced me to give her the book that Cowl had with the necromancy stuff in it... I know it was the wrong thing to do but just couldn't... couldn't risk..."I ran out of words and breath, the knot in my chest unravelled as I spoke. It was the only real secret left between us, it was a relief to have it out in the open. She'd crossed the distance between us while I spoke.

"Oh, Harry." She reached up and touched my chest with the palms of her hands. She fisted her fingers in the fabric of my hospital gown and pulled me down into a tender, soothing kiss that was all softness and comfort. We were both breathing heavily when it came to a natural end, her forehead was pressed to my chest my arms loosely around her waist. "Sometimes there are no good choices. You could have told me about this, we'll work through it together, okay?" she rubbed her hands up and down my bare thighs in a comforting gesture. "I'm not going to let him hurt you, God, I'm so sorry I hurt you." She whispered.

"Let's just go back to the Bat Cave, Murph."

After a mountain of paper work, all of which Murph did, bless her, and a tousle over a wheel chair which predictably: I lost; we were off. Murphy had grabbed me a pair of bell-bottom jeans, cowboy boots complete with spurs and a cheerful red shirt that had "Bah Humbug!" printed across my chest from the gift shop, then of course there was the trusted duster to finish off the look. We swung by a burger king on the way back to my place after a lengthy discussion as to whether Murphy's thighs could handle it, she made me promise we'd work it off. Which, truth be told I was quite looking forward too. In short, I almost felt human when we climbed out of Murphy's car and made for my front door. _I should have known it was too good to last_.


	3. Breaking Chicago

When we finally got to my door my hands were shaking so hard that I couldn't find the keyhole. She took the key it from me in her rock steady hand with a small smile and turned it in the lock. Before she could push the door open I spun her and pinned her to it with my hips, my hands on either side of her face. "Karrin… you're sure about this?" I whispered.

She looked up into my eyes with her beautiful blues, her hands fisted in my duster and yanked my face down to level with hers. Foreheads together, lips millimeters apart she whispered: "Yes Harry, a thousand times yes." I kissed her then with all the fervour and searing hot hunger that I'd built up for her over the years. After a startled second her fingers knotted in my hair and she matched the intensity of my hunger with enthusiasm. Her mouth opened to mine immediately without me having to ask, her tongue ravaging my mouth demanding more from me. She hooked a leg around mine and a small moan escaped her swollen lips and vibrated against my mouth.

My hands found her perfect little but and lifted her against the door so she could circle her legs around my hips, she gasped when the bulge in my jeans pressed against her groin. I pushed us passed the door and stumbled into my apartment, I had time to register warmth and candle light and then turned us so we could press the door closed. I pinned her to the closed door with my hips and let my hands slip under her shirt. She moaned at my touch and arched against me as my fingers ventured across the soft skin of her flat muscled torso. My mouth moved to her neck so I could mark her as mine, I bit and sucked at her soft smooth skin feeling the pounding of her heart against my lips. She was groaning my name, a blue light played across her skin. She was tapping my chest. Wait. Tapping. Chest. She was saying something but the ringing in my ears was stopping all sound but the canter of my heartbeat. Suddenly there was a slap upside my head followed by: "Dresden, God-dammit slow down."

I looked up into her eyes all fiery with passion. "Sorry, Murph, I just wa—"

"I heard something," she whispered, cutting me off blue light playing across her face. Blue. Light.

"Probably just the ani—"

"The animals are at my place, Harry. I think you have visitors." Suddenly the blue light made sense, she'd used my pendant to call a shield around us. I groaned in frustration, _the universe hates me_! "Four, maybe five. How do you want to handle it?" she whispered even as she shifted and produced her small girly gun from somewhere. _Where the hell had she hidden that?_

"Kill 'em all," I muttered channeling my tight dick for a moment. The ghost of a grin passed across her features as she took in the room over my shoulder.

She kissed my nose, "Lets call that plan B, okay?" I nodded and let her get back on her feet. "Remember, nothing strenuous…" she trailed of as I turned to face who ever had interrupted us for the third, fucking, time. There was a snort. Murphy's gun immediately sourced the noise and aimed about chest height at my empty couch. _She's got skills, my girl has!_

I didn't have my shield bracelet on me so I left hers where it was. "Show yourselves!" I growled at the seemingly empty room. Nothing. "Shoot it." I growled at her. She shrugged and began to squeeze on the trigger. Suddenly a bright purple shield was up around the individual sitting on my couch, and the individual gradually materialized as well. All of them did.

Ah, well. Maybe the council had some head choppy things to say to me, after all. Luccio, Ebeneezer, Carlos and Injin Joe were all sitting on my couches looking more than a little guilty. Murphy sighed, put the gun away and lowered the shield. "Well," Luccio muttered, "I'm glad this isn't awkward." Murphy snorted and pushed me toward a chair which I took mostly because fighting her on it would be embarrassing when I lost. Then she went in search of something cold to help me with my er… little problem.

"What the FUCK are you people doing in my home!" I demanded angrily.

"Careful Hos, we were invited in." Ebeneezer said. I stared at him. There were only two other people who had the power to invite guests in and one was digging in my cold box. I looked over and saw the trapdoor to the lab was open.

"Molly, you get your scrawny tattooed ass up here this instant!" I roared. As Murphy pressed an ice cold beer into my lap and came to stand behind my chair. There was a crash followed by some seriously foul language, a few seconds later her head popped out. "Explain this." I instructed my voice deadpan.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Murphy said—" I cut her off.

"That's not what I asked you, Molly" I growled. Murphy's hand slipped onto my shoulder and squeezed gently. "You've just lost your key privileges and a huge chunk of trust. You want to lose your apprenticeship as well?" Molly looked crushed. "Hand it over." She pulled out a key and her pentacle and placed them on the table. "Now for the last time, what the hell is going on here?" I demanded.

"A little harsh, don't you—" Carlos started.

Murphy had me covered before I had even formed a reply: "Step off, Punk. Actions have consequences." She snarled, her hand tightening on my shoulder. "You don't get a vote here." I patted her hand in thanks.

"Molly."I prompted.

"They came to me about helping with an op... with veils... I thought I could get a little help..." she rambled.

Oh, God, she was talking about Bob, the council cannot know about Bob! Murphy's hand slipped to my chest and tapped it twice. _Hells bells, Murph has me covered it would seem_. God, I love that woman! "So you invited the council into my home? Invited them in? That's a really bad call." I turned to the wizards, "And you, pressuring my apprentice. MY apprentice, into helping you behind my back? I'm responsible for her, me, it's my head on the block here. You people are supposed to be my friends, you need her, you ASK me. And you already know the answer there."

"Hos we know you wouldn't allow it but, this is important. We need her, there's very little risk to—"

"Harry, I want to help." Molly interjected, "I'm a big girl. It's the right thing to do."

"You don't trust her?" Luccio asked.

I sighed, "I don't trust the council, there's always an agenda. Not so long ago your tune was 'chop, drop and roll goes her head'. Excuse me for being a little sceptical, especially since I just found you all in my home without my permission."I took Murphy's hand. "What do you think?"

She raised an eyebrow as she came round and sat on the arm of my chair, "I get a vote?" I nodded. She didn't appear to need to think about it, "I think you want in on this and I think Molly needs to learn a few of her own lessons. But most importantly, I think you're recovering from life saving surgery. Sit this one out."

I nodded, "I sense great wisdom in you." I smiled, "What she said. But so help me, if you hurt her..." The wizards looked stunned. "See, I can be reasonable." I smirked. "Now, get the hell out of my home, or I'll break an appendage off in your collective asses."

"There something you want to share, Hos?" Ebeneezer asked eyeballing my ring and Murphy's. She coloured and made a move to remove hers. I stopped her.

"No, this is all mine" I grinned. "Now get out, and tell the Carpenter's where their daughter is."

When the door had closed behind them Murph yanked me up and threw me back onto the couch slipping out of my grip. "God, you're sexy when you go all Papa Bear." She smiled a little sultry smile, "Now, where were we. Hmmm?" She pulled her t-shirt off over her head and stepped out of her sweat pants. She was wearing a lacy black matching bra and panty set with tiny pink bows nestled between her unbelievable breasts and her fantastic legs. The yellow and orange light radiating from the hearth and candles seemed to set her soft skin on fire.

"Hells bells, Karrin, you are so unbelievably beautiful." I breathed. At my words, completely and utterly inadequate words, her smile turned shy and a blush rushed from her face all down her chest and buried itself in her lacy bra. I held out a hand to her. "Come here, gorgeous." I let her come to me on her own. First her fingers brushed mine feathery light and then stroked my palm in a spiral. She pressed my palm to her hip and continued her light caress up the back of my forearm. Her skin was so soft under my touch, I ached to pull her into my lap and kiss her to within an inch of her life. I tightened my fingers on the handhold she given me but didn't push any more than that. She put out her other hand to me, I paced my hand in hers. She kissed my palm and placed it over her breast, she completely filled my hand. "You've been hiding these from me," I breathed spreading my fingers fully encompass her. She laughed deep in her chest which nearly undid my resolve to let her have the control, at least for now.

Her light torturous fingertips found my shoulders and used them as a stabilizer to climb into my lap. She settled lightly on my thighs just above the straining bulge in my jeans. Hells bells I was so hard for her, so hard. Her fingers slipped into my hair. Her beautiful blue eyes smouldered in a way that I couldn't resist for long. She leaned in close pressing against my loaded cock. With her lips millimetres from mine she whispered huskily: "Make Love to me, Harry." The hand on her hip snaked round to her lower back, I pulled her against me. Her fingers tightened in my hair and pulled me into a kiss that was all fierce hunger and lust. I could relate, whole heartedly.

My rough thumb ran across her sensitive nipple, she gasped into my mouth in surprise and leaned into it encouraging more. I circled it raising it to a point, she moaned against my mouth and ground against my hard to bursting dick. We pulled out of the kiss panting for air. She rocked back pulling at my shirt urgently, I helped rip it off. Suddenly she froze with her eyes on my torso, "God, Harry, you sure you're okay?" I looked down at my body, there was a long, ugly, angry scar across my abdomen and blue and purple bruises everywhere else.

I slipped my hand down to her but and squeezed, "Karrin, I'm fantastic. Have you seen the sexy naked goddess on my lap? The only think wrong with me is that you're so incredibly beautiful that I'm having difficulty controlling myself." She leant in, ravaged my mouth, thoroughly, and explored the contours of my torso with that light feathery touch of hers.

Her hands found the snap on my jeans and yanked them open in a fluid motion; I tented up as far as my boxers would allow it. She slipped her hand passed my waist band and took hold of my erection with her small strong hand. I groaned at her touch and very nearly came in her hands. _Hells bells, I'm not going to last..._ Her breath caught and I shifted trying to create a little more room. "Jesus, Dresden. Is that I fire hydrant in your pants?" _Heh, a fire hydrant, why thank you_. "You're so hard, let me help?" I nodded feeling my face heat in embarrassment. "Hey, don't think about it." She murmured taking my face in her other hand and kissing me all over it in light reassuring touches of her lips. "Baby, it makes me so wet that you're so ready for me. You want to come or..."

"I want this to last, I want to be inside you the first time." I groaned as her finger brushed my tip, "Pleeeeeeeease, Kaaaarrrrrinnnn" I begged as she scraped her nails down the sensitive underside of my straining to come cock.

"Murph," she growled huskily, "No one says it quite like you."

"Murrrrph pleeeeeeeaaaaaasssse, please, pleeeeeassssssse Murph!" I begged desperately my vision beginning to tunnel the pressure building to unbearable limits. She took my mouth with hers hungrily swallowing my whimpers as she collared me at the base of my dick and eased my crazy need enough so that I could form semi coherent sentences again. She sensed when I came back to myself and rocked back onto my thighs with a little sigh of satisfaction and a smirk. She reached back to undo the clasp of her sweet lacy bra. "No," I growled, my voice grating in my throat as my hand moved from her ass so that I was cupping both her breasts, "this honour is mine. Every. Time." I breathed.

She chuckled and leaned into my hands which did fantastic things to her cleavage. "Use your mouth on me, baby." She whispered tangling her hands in my hair. My thumbs grazed her nipples through the thin fabric; she moaned loudly, a sound that seemed to stem from the soles of her feet and reverberated through her chest. My lips found the thundering pulse at her neck and bestowed light butterfly kisses across the soft skin until I heard her take in a sharp breath in response to my lips reaching that tender spot I'd claimed as my own. I circled the spot with my tongue and her hips lifted off me in a fluid undulating motion coupled with a whimper; my teeth nipped at the tender spot and she bucked against me again with a moan low in her chest. I closed my mouth over it, sucked hard and bit down deep, she cried out in surprised mingled pleasure and pain. Her hands moved to my shoulders and back raking burning hot lines across my skin with her nails urging me to keep going.

I reluctantly left that tender patch of skin and continued with my butterfly kiss exploration of her neck down to her collar bone. I slid my hands around to her back and unclasped the bra as my lips made it across to her strap, with a finger I Iifted them off her shoulders and kissed the swell of a breast along where the lacy fabric was still cupping her. She was groaning throatily in waves now, her nails biting deeply into my skin. I got to the little pink bow and took the fabric in my mouth, I ripped it off her with my teeth and slipped my fingers up to cup her perfect breasts at the same time. "Hells bells, you're captivating." I murmured brushing my thumbs over her finally bare, already hard nipples. She cried out and arched against me hard her muscles straining. She flushed under my gaze, her bottom lip now caught in her teeth, her eyes on fire with lust, her hands back in my hair pulled my face to her right breast.

_I love the way this woman thinks!_ I opened my mouth obediently and suckled on her gently; she whimpered and guided the hand I'd replaced to the inside of her thigh. She was slick against my fingers, "Touch me, baby. Play my song." She murmured in between throaty moans that increased in volume and tempo as my pressure on her slowly built up. I slid my hand up her thigh slowly savouring the taste of her in my mouth and the feel of her need as she strained against me. When my fingers arrived at her soaked panties she cried out in anticipation. I cupped her gently pressing my fingers against her and began to toy with her nipple circling it with my tongue. She threw her head back and ground against my hand with a long draw out cry that had her panting when she finally took a breath. It blew my mind that this tiny woman could produce such a sound.

I gave her a second to catch her breath before flicking at her nipple with my tongue, rolling her other between my thumb and forefinger and circling her clit with my fingers in a steady rhythm. She gave me what can only be described as an animalistic howl as she clutched at me desperately. I bit down on her nipple and suddenly every muscle in her body, and I mean every single muscle, tensed and spasmed violently. I relinquished her breast to watch and rode her out with my fingers pressed against her circling her yielding throbbing folds. She rocked back and arched in a way that would have broken me in two pieces, I swear her hair brushed my shins and her hands hit the carpet. She seized it and held on while wave after wave of pleasure wracked her frame. I hung onto her hips to keep her anchored in my lap and marvelled at her dexterity with a grin. Her howl rose by an entire octave as her orgasm rolled through her body. _Hells bells!_

Once she'd quieted she reached up and hoarsely demanded: "Dresden, you going to help me out here?" Oh. Right. Naked Murphy pulling an insane body-breaking manoeuvre in my lap. I grabbed her hand and yanked her languid, sweaty body up to me, perhaps a little too eagerly as she slammed into me in a full on body blow that forced the air out of my lungs in a painful 'whoosh' and her to give a gravelly, throaty grunt on impact. Her legs settled her on my thighs just above my very much restored erection, her arms wrapped around me pressing herself against my torso and pillowed her head on my shoulder with her forehead nestled against my neck. I settled one hand on her but lightly and let my middle finger caress the slick flushed skin on her back in loops and swirls while small after-shocks shuddered through her.

When I'd caught my breath and her after-shocks had subsided I heard a muffled banging on my ceiling. My land lady was pounding her floor with her walking stick. Objecting to the racket? _Hells Bells!_ "Murph," I murmured quietly, "I think you broke the sound barrier. The little old lady that lives above me is deaf... and even she heard you..." I trailed off as she began to chuckle weakly against me, her breasts rubbing against my skin in a most delightful way. She whimpered at the friction against her still acutely over sensitive nipples that the little chuckles had produced.

She shivered as my finger ran over a sensitive spot along her spine and began a light exploration of my chest with a finger of her own. "To be fair," she murmured, her voice still raw and husky made my aching dick push harder at the cotton of my boxers, "you helped." She chuckled again when I harrumphed noisily, "Who am I kidding?" she sighed and kissed my neck languidly, "You, Harry Dresden, played me like a prodigy." I grinned at that and tightened my grip on her but appreciatively. She purred a little and snuggled closer pressing her soft wet folds against my tented and straining to bursting boxers. I groaned full throated as the pressure in my dick became excruciating, her chest rumbled against mine as her finger travelled down to my torso in a straight line to my boxers. She whispered against my neck between kisses: "You ready to come for me, Baby?"

Her words alone nearly took me over the edge. Before I could think, though at this point thinking would have been beyond me anyway, I murmured: "Oh God, yeeeeeeeeeeeee..." I hung on by a fingertip as she seized me with her strong little hand. No, I couldn't let this end. My hand shot into my boxers grabbed hers around my agonising dick. "No," I gasped. She rocked back to look me in the eyes, her hand completely still on my erect cock.

There was concern in her eyes and more than a little frustration, "No?" she repeated. I nodded squeezing my eyes shut in concentration.

", Mrrrrrrrrrrrrrfffffffff." I begged. She sighed and collared me soundly. Before I opened my eyes her lips found mine in a soft, leisurely, comforting kiss as the pressure in my dick began to ease gradually. She released my dick and pressed my shoulders back against the couch and rose up onto her knees forcing my neck to tilt up to her. The kiss came to a natural end when we needed air.

She looked down into my eyes her chest heaving slightly, her long blond hair framing her face and falling down around our faces screening us off from the whole world. Her fingers were knotted in my hair. "Jesus, Harry, you'll do yourself an injury if you keep this up. Why won't you let yourself climax?" she murmured.

I couldn't say it, as soon as I did she'd rethink this whole thing. Then she'd leave, she had a million reasons why we couldn't work. She was only doing this because I'd almost died. And because my soul was weakened. And because she was scared. Because we'd nearly lost each other. I wanted her to stay, to stay in this moment with me forever and fuck all her stupid reasons. But I couldn't say that, so I said the other thing. Still true but not THE truth: "I want to take you higher first, Murph." She studied my eyes for a long minute and rocked back from me angrily.

"That's not it," she growled, "Why are you lying to me, Dresden?" she demanded, "Are you telling me you don't want this?" Angry, hurt tears escaped and rolled down her face.

I couldn't tell her, but I couldn't bear to hurt her either so I did the only thing I could think of. I shut her up and showed her how much I wanted her. I grabbed her thighs in a vice grip and pulled a move with my hips turning us, she had just enough time to throw her arms around my neck before I dived us into the couch along its length. "I want you!" I growled before capturing her mouth with mine and demonstrating my hunger in fierce almost violent kiss. After a few shocked seconds she responded to the kiss ardently her nails ripping at the skin on my back and shoulders in encouragement. I hooked one of her calves over my hip as I let my rapidly swelling groin grate against her. She groaned into my mouth and arched up under me for more at the friction between her legs as I moved against her.

I pulled out of the kiss desperate for oxygen when my vision had begun to tunnel. We were both panting heavily which did incredibly enticing things to her perfect breasts. I kissed the largely neglected one taking it deep inside my mouth and grazing the length of my tongue along the stiff nipple. She moaned from deep in her chest and bucked beneath me. I levelled my face with hers again and stared into her eyes. "I want you. I want you more than I've ever wanted anything in all my life!" I growled, watching her eyes slowly gain understanding and comfort in the truth of my words. I continued to spill my heart to her, "I love you, Karrin Murphy, and I want this with every damn fibre of my being. But I want it for more than this minute, or this hour or this day. I want to be like this with you forever."

She placed a shaking hand to my cheek, "God," she whispered, "you think that I don't want the same thing, beloved?" She yanked me back down into a fiery kiss that curled my toes. When we came up for air, she whispered huskily: "Look around, Mr. Private Detective, and tell me what you see."

I propped myself up on an elbow and did just that. The room was bathed in the warm glow of the cheerful fire that I hadn't set and the light of hundreds of candles spread along all the horizontal surfaces in the room. We were alone: no animals and no Bob. There was a fragrance in the air, well other than the Murphy's lovely musk, a cinnamon and maybe a strawberry scent. Then a looked over to her sexy underwear. I looked down to the ring on my finger... put 2 and 2 together and came out with 4. "You're seducing me?" I murmured, more than a little surprised. I looked down to her and saw a pair of fluffy red handcuffs in her hands. When she saw me looking she deliberately closed one bracelet over her right wrist and the other around my left.

Her lips quirked in that way she had when she was trying to hide a smile, how the hell hadn't I noticed? "That was the plan..." she murmured, trailing off in a blush. "That is, until you started a brawl and nearly got yourself killed; you colossally stupid, immensely overprotective, extraordinarily courageous and dearly loved man."

"You planned this before the party?" I asked, still somewhat taken aback. She nodded, her blush deepening. I bent to kiss to her swollen lips, tenderly sucking on her lower lip and softly exploring the shape of her mouth. "And this?" I murmured against her lips and shaking the handcuffs.

She smiled against my lips and whispered: "Symbolism, Dresden. I'm here with you and I'm not going anywhere, lover." I took the hand I was now attached to and interlaced my fingers with hers. I kissed the back of her hand moving in soft sucking kisses around her wrist to her hammering pulse. I followed the curve of her forearm with butterfly kisses, when I got to her elbow I lingered until she giggled and writhed under me. Ticklish, hmmmm... I used my teeth to nibble and nip and bite my way up the inside of her upper arm. When I got to her shoulder I butterfly kissed my way the length of her collar bone. I got serious on her neck again and branded her with my teeth. I had her moaning beneath me, her hand gripped in my hair, her eyes smouldering, her lips quivering.

I took her lips in mine to quiet her moans, all tender and sensual, savouring the flavour of her mouth and the feel of her tongue. She deepened the kiss, her lips insistent and her tongue demanding. I pulled out of it before we needed to take a breath. She was panting again, the movement drew my eyes to her breasts but her hand in my hair pull my eyes back to hers. "Take me there, Harry." She whispered. I grinned and fluttered kisses down her chest, I circled her neglected breast in a spiral getting ever closer to her hard nipple. Her hand yanked my mouth down onto it, she groaned and arched in anticipation when my mouth took her in but I didn't nip or circle or tease. I just released her to the cool air to her keening moan of disappointment. I continued down her torso with my fluttery kisses, her hand pulled free of my hair and went to her own breast rolling her stiff nipple between fore finger and thumb. Hells bells, it was hot.

My free hand slithered round to her but and under her panties as my mouth found the little bow between her thighs. I tasted her with a lick through her panties. That incredible spicy flavour drove me mad with desire; I shut down that part of my brain, her first. She'd gasped and bucked under my mouth when I'd licked her so I tightened my grip on her and kissed her through her drenched panties. She yowled and reared beneath my mouth hard and I couldn't stand not having her skin beneath my lips. I yanked at her panties, they broke off her in my hand. Oops. I grabbed her knee and lifted her leg as she opened her thighs to me as wide as she could and took a good look at my ultimate prize.

I tore my eyes away and sunk my teeth into her slick thigh, she cried out in another yowl. I continued up her thigh at an agonising pace, maybe two bites and yowls later I noticed her groaning had changed tempo. I looked up to find she'd taken matters into her own hands and had two fingers circling her clit. She saw me watching and raised an eyebrow, her bottom lip caught in her teeth again. I grabbed her wrist and took her fingers in my mouth hungrily sucking at her juices. She began to beg: "God, Harry pleeeeaassse, please Harry, let me, please let me, pleeeeeeasssse Harry!"

"Patience, Murph!" I grinned and lowered my mouth to her sweet soft slick folds. She groaned that full throated from-the-soles-of her-feet groan when my lips found hers. She braced a hand against the back of the couch and the other in mine and used them as leverage to arch up to me with every sweep of my tongue. I used my free hand to support her lower back and helping her strain to my mouth. I circled her opening with my tongue slow and patient while she begged in loud throaty cries for me to let her climax. I dipped into her throbbing centre tauntingly eliciting a primal cry of unsatisfied yearning She had a leg somehow thrown over my shoulder which allowed me to slip my hand round and circle her hard little clit with a thumb. I worked my tongue inside her feeling her inner walls begin to tremble at the same pace as my thumb worked her clit. She was beyond anything other than deafening, rolling, primal cries for release that seemed to go on forever. I found myself wondering when she'd breath, or if she would.

Just before I thought she'd come I pinched her clit between two fingers with my tongue buried been inside her and hauled her over that edge. Her cry changed pitch to such a degree that I expected the glass in the room to shatter. My Dick just couldn't take the strain any longer and with a wild cry of my own, muffled by the fact that I was still riding out her orgasm, I came in my boxers as my hips thrust forward violently into open air. Murphy slumped against me strangely quiet, her body still twitching on the seizure of passion while my hands found purchase on her slick skin and dug in as my body rode out its own primal urges sending a wave of pleasure through my groin.

When I came back to myself the first thing I noticed was that Murphy was still, far too still. The hand that I somehow still had in hers reached to check her pulse in a panic. It was hammering like a freight train, she was breathing in shallow rapid breaths almost hyperventilating. Her eyes were rolled back in her head. A feint? Maybe she Had forgotten to breathe... I kissed the thigh still over my shoulder lightly and returned it to the couch. Aftershocks still wracked her even unconscious as she was. I pushed myself off the couch and pulled at my soaked jeans and boxers leaving them in a jumble on the floor before bending to pick her up. It was a little awkward with the handcuffs but I couldn't find a key anywhere so I made do by wrapping our linked arms around her torso and my other hand under her knees. Her head rolled back but there was nothing I could do about that. So I hurried us to my bed, which is when I noticed that Murph had down a little more than set out a few scented candles.

My room was now dominated by a double bed that looked just long enough for my frame and just wide enough that it could take the two of us comfortably while also leaving a little space to move around the room. _How the Hell_...? The linen was black, just like the stuff I'd had on my rickety single. Though there was a new comforter folded at the base, it was covered in star wars pictograms, I chucked at that as I lay her down and pulled the comforter up and over her. I grabbed myself two pairs of new boxers, one I used to wipe myself off and the other, the pair with a similar star wars theme I pulled on. I'd just slipped under the covers when Murph stirred. I couldn't resist: "Hey there, beautiful."

She reached for me, her eyes still closed, I took her hand and pulled her over to me in a loose hug. "Oh, thank God." She croaked as she settled against me with our interlaced fingers resting on my chest. She opened an eye to check I was there and hooked a leg around one of mine. "What the hell just happened?" she asked, her voice grating painfully. She must have seen me wince at it because she went up on an elbow and kissed my nose lightly and whispered: "I'm fine, just need a little water." There was a glass on the night stand, I passed it over and she drank from it like she'd been thirsty for years. She cleared her throat and continued in an improved if still slightly gravelly tone, "Now spill, the last thing I remember is coming so hard I thought my head would explode..." she trailed off at my grin blushing prettily all the way down to her breasts.

"Awe, that's sweet, Murph." I grinned kissing her head. "You feinted, forgot to breathe, I think." I said running my free hand down her spine lightly. She purred and snuggled a little closer. "Also, thanks for the additions, how did you—"

She wriggled and turned her head to look up at me cutting me off when her knee brushed my groin. "It doesn't take a wizard to bribe a fairy with pizza, Dresden." She smiled, "You give them pizza, they move in as much furniture as you want, they even install gas water heaters..." she trailed off probably due to my sudden erection against her shin.

"Murph, I love that you had the confidence in this to go to the effort, but ah—"

She cut me off thoroughly by creating a little more friction against my erection and kissed the closest piece of skin on the side of my chest. "Harry, if I'm going to be sleeping over here, warm showers and bed space are not negotiable. Also, the fairies are okay with my knowing about them, we had a little sword fight in the kitchen and let's just say we have an understanding. As it turns out, I have quite the reputation for bad-assery in the magical circles."

"Are you kidding Murph?" I laughed turning us so that I was on top and cradled against her. Our still interlaced hands clasped above her head. "You have a reputation of bad-assery in every circle!" I kissed her soundly between every word: "You. Are. The. Very. Essence. Of. Awesome. And. You. Have. An. Incredibly. Sexy. Ass."

She smirked up at me with a grin and said: "Why, thank you, lover."

"Point of fact," I continued leering down at her perfect breasts that I could just lose myself in, "All of you is incredibly sexy." I kissed both of her nipples soft and lingering, it is safe to say that I indeed did get a little lost in her because when I finally surfaced her eyes were glazed over, her lower lip was caught in her teeth and her free hand was locked in a vice grip in my hair. I grinned and lent in to kiss her, watching as her eyes cleared slowly cleared. When she was finally back, "Hey there, welcome back, beautiful." I murmured and kissed her sweet little nose. She shifted against me to cradle my erection against her.

"Murph...?" I prompted easing closer so that her breasts were pressed against my chest and our faces were millimetres apart.

"Mmmmmmmm?" she responded incredibly helpfully pulling me into a toe curlingly fierce kiss and hooking a leg around my hips to keep me pressed against her.

When we came up of air panting I went up on an elbow: "What changed your mind about us?"

She brought her hand round to my face and ran the tip of her finger down the edge of my ear making me shudder at her touch, "Harry, is it absolutely necessary to talk about this now?" she demanded, frustration clear as day on her face. After a few seconds her expression softened, her finger running down my neck. She sighed, "Of course, it is... okay... kiss me again and I'll tell you." She whispered coyly. I eased back down and captured her mouth with mine, gentle and tender but Murphy wasn't having any of that. She was all searing ravenous need that I couldn't help but respond to ardently. I swelled even further cradled by her and pressed in against her, she moaned into my mouth and pressed in deeper sucking on my tongue. Hells bells!

Suddenly I knew what this was: avoidance. Sneaky sneaky, get me all hot and bothered so we could talk about it later. With a loud groan I pulled out of the kiss and propped myself up on my elbow looking down at her disgruntled expression with laughter in my heart and a grin on my face. "Karrin..." I nudged.

She sighed a little defeated sigh, "It was that wammy thing. I know it wasn't real. Not really. It removed all our obstacles, showed me what I wanted. And suddenly I couldn't lie to myself anymore, about how much I love you, about how much I yearn to build a life and a family with you. I wanted you to look at me like that again, kiss me like that again. The more I thought about it the more my cleverly erected obstacles folded in like the house of cards that they are. All but one..." she trailed off her voice suddenly thick with emotion.

I finished the thought: "My lifespan, relative to yours." She nodded, unshed tears shimmered in her eyes. I kissed her fore head reassuringly. "I've been thinking about that, about a way to fix that other than the obvious."

"The obvious." She repeated in a none committal tone that told me she was doing her damndest to reign in her hope.

"I could give up my magic, let it atrophy..." Her hand rose to my lips silencing me.

"You'd do that?" she whispered. I didn't hesitate, not for a second.

"Only for you, my love." I murmured and bent to kiss her swollen lips gently exploring the shape of her mouth.

She tapped my chest in a clear message to let up, "No, Harry. Promise me you won't." She must have seen the distress on my face, "Your magic is so precious to you. It's who you are. It's how you help people. Harry, it's one of the things I love about you. You could never be happy going vanilla, WE could never be vanilla. It would kill you, maybe not right away, but it would kill you. It'll eat at your soul by inches, God, I couldn't bear that. Whatever the consequences..."

I marvelled at this woman, at how well she knew what was in my heart and at her strength. The strength to look full in the face perhaps the one thing that could allow us to grow old together and turn it down flat, for me, for my piece of mind. Hells bells, I love this woman! I eased back down to her until our lips were millimetres apart and pressed myself against her and my arms around her as tightly as I could. She hooked her other leg over my hip and her arm up and around my back holding me as intensely as I was holding her. "We'll find a way, Murph, I swear it. On everything I am and everything I have, I swear it." I whispered fiercely, "Nothing is going to stop me from growing old with you."

She smiled sadly, I couldn't allow that, not now. I kissed her, soft and tender and reassuring. Her salty tears mingled with our lips, it was only when she brushed at moisture on my cheek that I realised that those tears weren't only hers. She was whimpering against my lips, sad little sounds that could never be confused with the lovely sexy little sounds my touch brought her. I kissed her losing myself in her lips and the comfort we shared until the whimpers had grown to the moans of want. The kiss, all soft and tender and reassuring, changed tempo and suddenly we were clutching at each other desperately.

"You feel that?" She looked up at me coyly and raised an eyebrow suggestively. Oh, she thinks I mean… Heh! I smirked down to her, "That ain't what I meant doll face!" I laughed and kissed her nose playfully. "I meant this, us. How good this feels, how right it is. It feels like everything I've been and all I've done has culminated in me being here with you, like this. Hells bells, it's as if—"

She cut me off soundly by raking a searing hot line up my spine with her nails. Mingled pleasure and pain shot through my body, I cried out in surprise, my hips rolled against her involuntarily creating serious friction against her hot, slick folds. She arched up under me extending the sensation as we both groaned our frustration at the cloth of my boxers separating us. She ran the teasing hand through my hair: "It's as if our bodies and minds have only just caught up to what our hearts and souls have known for years," she murmured finishing my thought, she must have seen the question in my eyes because she continued, "That this, right here right now. This is home." She blushed faintly under my scrutiny, not used to expressing the fluffy stuff is my super bad-ass Murphy.

I kissed her thoroughly, showing her exactly what I thought of that pressing us even tighter together trying to fuse us. The kiss turned scorching and ravenous fast, and her nails raked across my back and shoulder in long searing trails. When we came up for a quick breathe she hissed fiercely: "Make love to me, Baby." I lowered my face to her neck to ravage the smooth soft skin there while she showed just how dexterous she could be by easing my boxers off me with her feet before clamping around my hips again to cradle my straining to bursting dick against her softly throbbing, slick folds.

I sucked gently at the tender spot that I'd marked earlier and drew moan after moan from her rising in pitch and frequency, gradually her hips began to move against mine rubbing herself against me making me slick with her juices and making us both groan. Suddenly she bucked under me violently trying to impale herself on my shaft, she cried out in frustration as I shifted and creating more friction to drive her mad with. 'Baby please, I need you inside me, I need you now." She panted.

"Pa—" she didn't even let me get passed the first syllable. Using one of her Aikido moves she flipped us. She landed lightly on my thighs, and for the first time had a good look at me. She bit her lip in an anticipatory grin her slightly widened eyes revealing her surprise at my size.

"You waiting for an invitation?" she demanded huskily pulling our handcuffed and still clasped hands up to her hip. She reversed our grip pressing my palm to her hip and digging into the swell of my fore arm with her nails before she leant down and teased my mouth with an almost kiss. My free hand went to her thigh in a vice grip while hers seared down the centre of my chest.

"Ah, condoms are—" she cut me off soundly as a finger ran up my slick ready dick and my brain began to boil. Her finger topped me lightly collecting a drop of pre-ejaculate and wiped it in a long line down my chest. A second later she rocked up onto her knees and licked it off me in one long lick that traveled up my neck and ended in a fiery kiss. _Hells bells_.

"No condoms, never for us. I don't need any protection from you." She panted raking her nails up the exceedingly sensitive underside of my now screaming for release dick. I bucked up under her and pulled at her thigh and hip trying to press against her heat, she seized me in her small strong hand and hovered over my tip. I began to beg and babble incoherently to be inside her. My free hand moved to her tantalizing breast and I ran my thumb across her hard nipple. Murphy gasped at the unexpected sensation, her hips rolled involuntarily and buried my tip inside her hot throbbing flesh ripping a mad wild cry from each of us. "No fare!" she groaned rocking back onto her knees leaning back to let me watch as she eased me into her. Her eyes took on a faraway look and she held her bottom lip in her teeth while she lowered herself one deliberately excruciating inch at a time.

My brain was on fire with the feel of her hot, tight, throbbing muscles embracing me, she was struggling to take all of me I could feel her stretching to accommodate my inflated need. A life time of pleasure and madness later, she settled on my hips with a long slow exhale of a breath that I hadn't realized that we'd both been holding and a smug little smile. She gave me a minute to acclimate before gently beginning to rock in small motions she groaned at every shift and slide that took place, it didn't take long for her to find that spot that women were so good at finding. That pleasure centre inside them that science just couldn't quite quantify. She was angled over me my hands on her perfect breasts teasing her to new heights when she found that ultimate pleasure centre. She clenched against me hard and cried out in that primal cry of hers I joined her in a wild cry of my own, holding onto my climax by a fingernail.

I turned us and she somehow kept the angle she'd found wrapping her legs around my hips and clutching at my back. I used my shackled hand to support her lower back that was arched up under me and my free hand to steady her hip as I moved against her in a slow steady rhythm against the spot she'd found. She cried out at every thrust finding and matching my rhythm perfectly to maximize penetration. My strokes grew longer and harder until I was coming almost all the way out of her before plunging back in. Murphy was screaming my name, at this point, we both were. Screaming that is.

I felt it when I slammed into her cervix, before I had the presence of mind to ease up, Murphy screamed: "Don't you fucking dare!" and slammed against me even harder. We kept it going for maybe a few more cervix slams before a shrill wild primal scream burst out from Murphy's chest. Every muscle in her body tighten and spasmed, her tight muscles clenched around my excruciatingly ready dick in waves of ecstasy I rode her out once maybe twice more before my brain imploded and exploded into her on her wave of pleasure with everything I had roaring wildly. Her contracting muscles milked me for all I was worth, and just kept going, miles passed my last release.

Once my brain was back in the firing neurons frame of mind I watched Murphy, her climax still thundering through her in crescent after wave crescent. Her head thrown back, her body still spasming, her chest heaving trying to stay conscious. Weak whimpering cries still escaping her throat. While I watched and felt her continued pleasure it looked almost agonizing, the waves thundering through her barely abating. There were tears running down her face. What the? I eased her back to the sheets following her down and slipped a thumb down to her clit, I circled her gently in a different rhythm offsetting whatever it was that was going on in side her. It seemed to help, easing her down and out of that excruciating ecstasy. Her breathing slowed to a more normal rhythm and her muscles finally slacked their hold. I slowed down my movements and stopped altogether when I saw her take a deep shuddering breath and open her beautiful blues at long last. She still looked far away, not quite focusing on me.

I kissed her mouth gently, sucking on her lower lip and tracing the shape of her with my tongue, watching as she slowly came back to me. Once her eyes had cleared I lowered my mouth to each nipple with a gentle kiss as she whimpered weakly. I started to ease myself out of her but she stopped me with a gravely croak: "Please stay." So I turned us gently so that she straddled me again. Just when we'd settled down the first of a series of violent aftershocks took her again. I first few I helped her with, hells bells, I didn't think a person could go that high, but after that there was no need. She was slumped against me, her forehead resting on my chest both our hands inter-fingered breathing the even rhythms of someone near sleep when it hit me.

I hadn't updated certain wards around my place for a while, especially the ones keeping my murphionic field indoors when things got out of hand… Crap in a bag. I'd taken out city blocks before… Hell, with Luccio, I'd taken out city blocks with my wards… But I'd never ever— Murphy must have felt me tense. She stirred and kissed my chest languidly before looking up at me. "Oh! My! God!" she breathed her voice still all gravelly.

"Yes?" I smirked, "ask and ye shall receive." She laughed at that, gasping as her nipples rubbed at my chest.

"I'll give you that, Casanova." She croaked. "What's wrong? You just realized something…"

I wrinkled my nose at her, "Your boss is about to call us."

She look surprised but not out right disbelieving: "Harry, I've taken some time off. Stallings isn't going to—" My phone rang making us both jump at the suddenly shrill sound. She snorted when I answered and stuck it on speakerphone.

"Top o' the world, this is your god speaking, how may I direct your call Sergeant Stallings?" I answered.

There was a pause in which the phone crackled ominously. "You are one freaky son-of-a-bitch, Dresden!" Stallings muttered, "How the fuck did you do that?"

"You know, it says wizard on my business card, boss." I smirked falling into the easy banter we shared. Murphy rolled her eyes at me, pointed at her throat and eased off my lap. I nodded and let her go.

"Whatever, smarty pants, where's that girlfriend of yours at?" he demanded, Murphy froze halfway off the bed and shook her head at me. I couldn't blame her, cops are awful gossips. Also she'd never heard my calls with Stallings. This was going to get more awkward before it got less…

"Serg, if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times. Murph and I are not a 'thing', I know you coppers have coppers riding on it and I'm terribly sorry that I'm putting you out of pocket here but Murph has made it clear that we aren't going there and I'm respecting that. So shut your fucking trap about it and tell me why you called." I responded automatically, in exactly the same words I'd used before and the time before that and the time before that and the time… You get it.

"You're saying all the right words, Dresden, but there ain't any angst. So I ain't buying it! She there or not?"

Murphy sighed: "Boss, I'm on leave, my memo was pretty-god-damn-clear."

"Aaaah ha!" he declared, "Yeah, I got your memo." I heard a rustling of papers, "And I quote: 'Boss, taking some time off, don't call me unless it's the apocalypse and those four horsemen show up looking for me by name.' Seemed like code for: I'm fucking the hell out of Dresden, don't come a knocking." He was chuckling.

"And what part of: 'don't come a knocking' did you not understand?" she demanded.

"Whoa, there tiger." He laughed, "Everyone's being called in so don't go thinking you're special, turns out, the apocalypse came early this year. The big guns think we have a terrorist situation. I'm surprised you folks didn't notice out there, you're pretty much at ground zer—" He cut himself off sharply, "This had better not be one of those things we don't talk about!" he growled at me.

"Ah, how bad is it?" I asked, looking at Murphy. She'd raised an eyebrow at me, _terrorists means pretty high on the scale._ And I could see she was mulling over what Stallings had just alluded to.

"The lights are out. There've been reports of exploding appliances. Cell phone networks are down. The only thing working is the landlines. FBI thinks it's some kind of smart bomb, though why the flying fuck some Osama wanabe would want to take out electrical aplianc—"

I cut him off, "It's not terrorists, Serg." Murphy opened her mouth but didn't say anything, just sort of hung there waiting for clarity. "I forgot to update my wards."

He waited a beat. "You are NOT telling me you two fucked so hard the city broke! I will not have it, Dresden. Best you've done is a city block or two, this is the whole god-damn city of Chicago man! You said you had it covered last time!" I felt my face heat under Murphy's flabbergasted stare, I was a little stunned myself. The whole city? We broke the whole city?

"Explain!" Murphy demanded into the silence.

"You didn't tell her?" Stalling asked with another chuckle.

"Why do you think I came to you with this little problem?" I demanded, hotly. "Murph, you know how I'm allergic to technology," she nodded, "Well, during sex. During great sex things get out of hand and I loose control of the magic. Some times it takes out city blocks. So I set up some wards though sometimes I even get through those… Stallings discovered that early on, so now when there's a blackout in my neck of the woods I get a courtesy call. I didn't say anything because—" she cut me off.

"We broke Chicago?" she whispered. I shrugged and grinned. "We can fix that, right?"

"It WAS epic!" I murmured and nuzzled her neck, "Don't worry, Murph. I'll fix it at some point."

"Just how epic are we talking?" He asked, "On a scale of Susan to way-the-fuck-out-of-this-world. Strictly for the wagers purposes…" he trailed off.

I surfaced, "I don't kiss and tell, you know that."

Murphy pulled away from my attentions for a minute with a sigh, "But I do, Harry." I blinked at her. "Cops gossip, full disclosure tends to shut that down. I used to refuse to participate in their games but… that just confirms the worst normally. I won't say anything if you have an issue with it but…" she trailed off and kissed me briefly, "You really don't have anything to worry about."

"Oh, very well then." Stallings chuckled, "On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is gimpy-limpy first husband and 10 is hit-the-ceiling Kincaid." She looked to me for permission.

I nodded and shrugged, _hit-the-ceiling Kincaid? Really?_ She grinned at me and stroked my cheek with her fingers. "Turns out there's a whole world above the ceiling… Kincaid gets shuffled down to a six. Way-the-fuck-out-of-the-solar-system Harry hits the top."

_Heh_, _that sounds impressive_, "I'ma be a rock star at the station!" I grinned. She grinned back, slipped onto my lap and kissed me again: hot and hungry. My fingers traveled up the inside of her thigh and stroked her warm wet folds, she bit down on her tongue to stifled a groan as her hips rolled against me asking for more. _It's safe to say we got a little lost in the moment_.

Stallings cleared his throat loudly and we both froze, Murphy had turned almost purple with embarrassment. I kissed her nose softly and pulled my fingers away reluctantly. "Anything else you need, boss?" I asked struggling to keep my tone level.

"Well you still need to come in and go through the motions with this ca—"

I cut him off: "No can do, boss. Since you never were able to find Murphy." She quirked an eyebrow at that, I grinned and winked, took a deep breath and muttered: "Hexus!" sending some technology destroying magic at the phone. It blew up into tiny little pieces that rained down around us.

I put my fingers back and stroked her again, she arched against me hard with a groan. She lifted off my lap and onto her knees, her torso and pressed against me, her arms over my shoulders and her face buried in my neck. She was holding onto the headboard with both hands. "Now where were we?" I asked with a grin.

"You," she whispered huskily, "were about to make me scream." _Oh I luuurved the sound of that!_


End file.
